Manipulation with Stability Guarantees: Linear Deformable Objects with Non-negligible Physical Response Grasped at Multiple Location
cs.RO
Submitted: 2026-09-22
Updated: 2026-09-22
Comments: 19 pages, 13 figures
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The gist: Most research on the manipulation of deformable objects focuses on lightweight systems with negligible mechanical response, effectively restricting attention to quasi-static regimes.
Terminology
Abstract
Most research on the manipulation of deformable objects focuses on lightweight systems with negligible mechanical response, effectively restricting attention to quasi-static regimes. This assumption excludes a broad class of practically relevant objects, such as hoses, pipes, and wiring harnesses, whose dynamics cannot be ignored during manipulation. In this work, we address this limitation by introducing a closed-loop control architecture that explicitly accounts for object dynamics and recasts manipulation as a shape-regulation problem. Control is achieved by modulating forces and torques applied at multiple fixed points along the object. This approach builds on three methodological contributions: a fully dynamic model of linear deformable objects based on discrete strain parameterizations; an extension of the notion of actuation coordinates to SE(3), yielding a structured and inherently underactuated control architecture; and nonlinear feedback strategies providing explicit conditions for steady-state convergence to desired configurations. Extensive simulations on representative manipulation tasks demonstrate the performance gains enabled by the proposed modelbased formulation. We finally validate the approach experimentally through a real-time closed-loop implementation with online shape estimation, confirming its practical feasibility and effectiveness
Sources
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